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Composed of 60% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, which was harvested from September 25 to October 3, the 2017 Pavie is very deep garnet-purple in color and rolls slowly and sensuously out of the glass with growing scents of Black Forest cake, black plum preserves, blueberry compote and fruitcake plus suggestions of melted chocolate, licorice, crushed rocks and Indian spices with a waft of violets. Full-bodied, the palate packs a powerful punch, laden with electric layers of energetic black and blue fruits. All this decadent fruit is supported by fantastic freshness and very, very ripe, velvety tannins, finishing with epic length. Location, location, location was everything in 2017. Pavie has one of the most enviable locations in all of Bordeaux and boy-oh-boy does it show in this spectacular wine. 

 
Robert Parker: 91Pts; James Suckling: 91Pts; Wine Spectator: 90Pts

The 2010 Lafite Rothschild, a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot, achieved relatively high alcohol of 13.32%, according to administrator Charles Chevalier. The wine is very impressive, not as fleshy, flamboyant and massive as the 2009, but nevertheless, a big, rich, full-throttle Lafite-Rothschild meant to age a half century or more.

Deep purple, with notes of white chocolate, mocha, cedar and charcoal as well as hints of vanillin and creme de cassis, the wine is full-bodied yet has that ethereal lightness that makes it a Lafite. Rich, with good acidity, precision and freshness, this is a slightly zestier version of the 2009 as well as more restrained and structured than that particular vintage. It will need at least 10-12 years of cellaring and keep for 50+ years.

The 2017 Gruaud Larose was picked from 15 to 20 September for the Merlot and from 21 to 3 October for the Cabernets, fermented in wood and cement tanks and aged in French oak, 80% new for 18 to 24 months. Quite deep in colour, it has an introverted bouquet at first that demands a lot of coaxing from the glass. There are notes of black cherry, iodine and just a touch of pencil lead. The palate is medium-bodied with finely balanced. An unpretentious but pretty Gruaud Larose that is benefitted by what is clearly a prudent extraction. The oak is neatly integrated with a linear, almost pastille-like finish and quite a sustained aftertaste. Drink 2022 – 2040. 

The Abercrombie is Howard Park Wines finest Cabernet Sauvignon. In most years the wine is a blend of grapes sourced from the Abercrombie vineyard in Mount Barker and the Leston vineyard in Margaret River. our long term commitment to and passion for grape growing in the two major premium grape growing regions of Western Australia is reflected in this wine.

Named after Jeff Burch’s Great-Grandfather Walter Abercrombie, this Howard Park flagship Cabernet Sauvignon is noted for its outstanding structural complexity and exceptional elegance. It combines the austere dusty earth and blackcurrant aromas from Mount Barker, with the classic rich fruit and chocolaty palette of Margaret River. Together they produce an elegantly balanced Cabernet Sauvignon with mature ripe tannins backed up by quality French oak. Careful long term cellaring will realize this wine’s full potential. The 2016 was matured for 22 months in French barriques (60% new).

A powerful wine variety that makes arguably the world’s greatest Red Wines. Characters include blackcurrant, mint, leaf, eucalyptus and black olive with other nuances of cigar box, cedar, chocolate, tobacco, coffee and mocha. Best in moderately cool areas and generally blended with other Bordeaux varieties (Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc). The flagship ‘Abercrombie’ Cabernet Sauvignon is renowned to be one of the best and most collected Cabernets in Australia.

James Halliday: 96Pts; Ralph Kyte-Powell: 96Pts; Huon Hooke: 95Pts; The Wine Front: 92Pts; Jeremy Oliver: 91Pts

Langton Classification: Outstanding (The best of Australian winemaking practices, vineyard provenance and regional voice)

The 2016 Pavie a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc. Very deep purple-black in color, it needs a little coaxing to begin, slowly unfurling to reveal a fragrant perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, crushed blueberries and eucalyptus over a core of preserved plums, kirsch, black raspberries and creme de cassis plus hints of licorice and chargrilled meat. Full-bodied and built like a brick house, it has a solid foundation of firm, super ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness interknit with the black fruit preserves and minerally layers, finishing very long and very decadent. Superb! 

Modest but sure of its presence, Clinet lies at one of the highest points upon the renowned plateau at the heart of Pomerol – instantly recognisable by its red shutters and beautiful roses. It is home to one of the oldest vineyards in the appellation, with traces of the vineyard’s existence dating back to 1595. This vineyard is equally famed for offering wine with an incomparable character and quality. 

Clinet has been on a hot streak lately and the 2009 appears to be the greatest wine ever made at the estate, surpassing even the late Jean-Michel Arcaute’s monumental 1989. A blend of 85% Merlot and tiny amounts of Cabernet Franc (12%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%), this big Pomerol boasts an opaque, moonless night inky/blue/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of blueberry pie, incense, truffles, black raspberries, licorice and wood smoke. Viscous and multi-dimensional with silky, sweet tannin, massive fruit concentration and full-bodied power, there are nearly 4,000 cases of this thick, juicy, perfect Clinet. It should drink well in 3-5 years and keep for 25-30 years.

The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc picked 10-14 October and 14-19 October, respectively, at 40 hectoliters per hectare. It is matured in 80% new oak with a light toasting, a move that Alain and Pauline Vauthier have made in recent years just to lessen the impact of the oak.

There is a palpable stateliness about the Ausone this year. It is extraordinarily pure and articulates its terroir as well as any vintage that I can remember over the last 20-odd years. It is not as flamboyant as other Saint Emilions, more correct and precise. The palate is very elegant and precise. I adore the exquisite balance of this Ausone, the precision and fineness of the tannin, the effortlessness that it conveys. This is classy and sophisticated, satin-like in texture with a long and sensual finish.

Not an Ausone that is going to blaze across the sky, this is a cerebral, intellectual Ausone that will entrance for many years to come.

This Rosé is crafted from a classic Bordeaux blend  (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot) and reveals a very pale pink color, delicate and brilliant with bright reflections. Intense and radiant nose of red berries a little acidic where mixes some spicy and mineral aromas reminiscent of the great origin of gravelly soil. On the palate, roundness and suppleness enveloping the fruity, refreshing and spicy acidity of Cabernet Sauvignon. Its precision and sharpness accompany a long finish, complex and tart, reminiscent of the aromas of the nose. The whole is well balanced with a lot of lightness.

The 2016 Lascombes has a decadent, but pure bouquet with layers of black cherry and blueberry fruit, the new oak conspicuous and (as usual) quite glossy and extroverted in style. The palate is very ripe with saturated tannin, bold and extravagant with a voluminous middle of blackberry, graphite and blue fruit. There is a powerful and heady finish; what it just lacks is finesse and that sense of personality.

This is stunning. Troplong never has trouble conjuring up wonderfully rich fruit, but here it is plump and dense without being pumped up. The tannins are chewy rather than chalky, but the elegance of the vintage is unmistakable, and the rich chocolate flavours are dusted with mint. There is a very pretty salinity on the finish that lasts for minutes. I had a fascinating visit here at the start of the week, and retasted several times as this is a wine that I sometimes have trouble understanding. My main takeout is that the majority of the richness here is found naturally in the terroir – limestone on the plateau but with cool clay over the top, which explains why they are such late harvesters. But there are always winemaking and viticultural choices coming into play in any wine, and here there are adjustments being made to bring out a more finely wrought version of what is always a high impact and successful wine. Yields are higher this year, up at 48hl/ha, which helps, as does the style of the vintage and quieter extraction in the cellar, but Troplong remains true to itself.

Composed of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Pontet-Canet gives up beautifully fragrant notes of rosehip tea, lilacs, cinnamon stick, cloves, dried leaves and underbrush with a core of kirsch, raspberry coulis, warm plums and red and black currants plus a waft of pencil shavings. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing, minerally and wonderfully elegant with a well-played texture of approachable, plush tannins and a long, fragrant finish. Beautiful. Aging took place in 50% new and 15% in second fill barrels and the remaining 35% in amphorae for 16 months, much of the material for which came from the soil at Pontet-Canet!

The wines of Chateau Pontet-Canet obtained organic certification from Ecocert and biodynamic certification from Biodyvin in 2010 and from Demeter in 2014.

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Clinet opens slowly to reveal vibrant red and black fruits: red currants, black cherries, plums and cassis with touches of roses, yeast extract, wood smoke and crushed rocks. Medium-bodied with firm, grainy tannins and a taut, muscular palate of tightly wound fruits and compelling mineral accents, it finishes long with wonderful purity and fragrant earth accents. The tannins here will need 4-5 years of bottle age, and I’d lean toward drinking bottles over the following decade. 

The 2017 Haut-Bailly is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Very deep garnet-purple colored, it has a wonderfully spicy nose of cinnamon stick, cloves, anise and fenugreek with core of roses, warm blueberries, black forest cake and black raspberries plus hints of underbrush and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied with firm, ripe, grainy tannins, it has oodles of freshness and great finesse, continuing bright and energetic on the long, minerally finish.